Hi

Well, there certainly seems to have been a change in the weather lately! I haven’t quite resorted to putting the heating back on at home yet, but I don’t think it’ll be long. Cooler weather heralds the start of the turning season again for us, so we’re getting ready to be even busier. If you’re venturing out into the workshop again after a break, I hope you have fun – and if you’ve never stopped, enjoy it anyway!

So, what questions have come in this week…? First off, one from a regular customer asking about our Iridescent Paints. Do they need to be applied over a black background, such as our Ebonising Lacquer? They’re certainly very dramatic when used in this way, but it’s not essential to do so to get them to work. We would always recommend using a sealer first (Cellulose or Acrylic are best), as this will make sure more of the paint stays on the surface, giving the brightest and best effect.

It’s holiday season for many of us, and we had an email from a Chestnuteer asking about some driftwood they’d collected, which they wanted to turn and finish. Would Cellulose Sanding Sealer seal in any salt still present in the wood?
To be honest, I’m not sure. I’d imagine that any salt in the timber won’t really move, so it should be pretty safe to apply the Cellulose Sanding Sealer, which should make sure it stays where it is. My best suggestion was to try one and see what happens; I reckon it’ll be OK, but only time will tell. I wonder if any of our readers has experience with this?

And finally for this week, we’re going back to this week’s featured picture, which prompted a comment that answers another common question about the ‘best before’ dates on our Acrylic Lacquer (and Acrylic Sanding Sealer):

“I found a bottle of very well hidden Chestnut Acrylic Lacquer that stated “For Best Results Use before end 2020”. It was still fluid and, to be honest, looked quite normal.
After removing a very thick and crusty layer of dust from the neck, I decided to use it, to see what the finish would be like.” It was applied using a “small HVLP gun purchased from a well known online auction site, I used no reducing or thinning agents and this was the result (see above). I was pleasantly astounded and pleased with the outcome; the finish was perfect and unblemished. That’s why I never throw anything away; you never know.

As we always say, the date on these bottles is only ever a guide; the product is usually fine for some considerable time after. As long as it is still liquid in the bottle (i.e. not set to a gel), it is still fine to use.

And that’s everything for this week. It’s a short Newsletter, to match the working week! Sometimes it just works out like that.
I hope you have a good weekend, and I’ll be back here again in seven days.

All the best

Terry